Chinese Syllables

English syllables can start with 1, 2 or 3 consonants:

sit (CVC),

spit (CCVC) and

split (CCCVC). 

English syllables can also end with 1, 2 or 3 consonants: 

sit (CVC),

silt (CVCC) and

silts (CVCCC).

Chinese syllables can only start with one consonant (C) and usually end with a vowel (V): CV. Some Chinese syllables end with a consonant: CVC, and some start with a vowel and end with a consonant: VC. Chinese syllables (Mandarin syllables) are much simpler than English syllables.

The character 蔣 is pronounced 
jeang (Gwoyeu Luomaatzyh)/jiǎng (Hanyu Pinyin)/ㄐㄧㄤˇ(bopomofo)
Traditionally, Chinese syllables are divided into two parts: initials and finals.

ㄐ	ㄧ	ㄤ	ˇ
聲母	韻母
Initial	Final

Init- means the “beginning”

Fin- means “the end”

ㄐ	ㄧ	ㄤ	ˇ
聲母	介音	韻尾	聲調
Initial	Medial	(Coda)	Tone

Chinese syllables usually end with a vowel (= an open syllable). A few syllables end with a consonant, but there are only two choices: -n or –ng.

Summary:

English syllables can start or end with several consonants (CCCVCCC). 

Chinese syllables can only start and end with one consonant (CVC). 

This is why we say that syllables in Mandarin are much simpler than syllables in English.

Chinese syllables; Gwoyeu Romatzyh

Syllables in Mandarin Chinese (國語 in Taiwan，普通話 in the rest of China) are traditionally split into two parts: initial and final (聲母 + 韻母). Finals can be subdivided into medial, main vowel, final consonant and tone:

	initial	final
	initial	medial	V+[C]	Tone
	聲母	介音	韻尾	聲調
蔣	ㄐ	ㄧ	ㄤ	ˇ

C = consonant (= con [with] + son [sound] + ant)

V = vowel

屈 ﹦ㄑ + ㄩ

        Ch  + iu = Chiu (Qu1)

徐    ﹦ㄒ + ㄩ + ˊ

        Sh + yu = Shyu (Xu2)

許﹦ㄒ  + ㄩ + ˇ

        Sh + eu = Sheu (Xu3)

Notice how GR (Gwoyeu Romatzyh / Gwoyeu Luomaatzyh 國語羅馬字) very cleverly shows 1st, 2nd and 3rd tone ㄩ (iu) by changing the 1st letter of the medial: iu, yu, eu. The second half of each letter shape matches the tone mark! People who have not studied phonology (音系學) and most foreign students of Chinese have trouble understanding why GR is superior to other romanizations.